SYDNEY, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- The Australian state of Victoria has issued a health alert over measles infection, as a new case was identified in a returned overseas traveller.
The state's health department said in a statement on Saturday that the case was infectious at a number of premises between Feb. 16 and Feb. 17.
The public exposure sites for the case include a restaurant, a cinema and a pharmacy.
The authority urged people, who attended the listed exposure sites during the specified dates and times, to monitor for symptoms of measles, adding that symptoms can develop seven to 18 days after exposure.
According to the statement, there have now been eight cases of measles reported in Victoria since Jan. 1, 2022.
Clinical features of measles include prodromal fever, a severe cough, conjunctivitis and coryza, followed by a maculopapular rash usually starting on the face.
The health authority noted that people, who were born after 1966 and do not have documented evidence of receiving two doses of a measles-containing vaccine or do not have documented evidence of immunity, are potentially susceptible to the disease.
Measles is highly contagious, even without close direct contact. In Victoria, the disease is an "urgent" notifiable condition that must be notified immediately to the department by medical practitioners and pathology services. ■